4 October 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Former Russian Atomic Energy Minister Yevgenii Adamov will probably appeal a Swiss decision to send him to the United States to face fraud charges.

Adamov's lawyer, Stefan Wehrenberg, said in Geneva today he might appeal because the Russian request [for extradition] "should have prevailed".

Swiss authorities arrested Adamov on a U.S. warrant in May. Russia had been fighting the U.S. extradition request for Adamov, and had filed one of its own. Moscow fears Adamov could reveal nuclearsecrets to the U.S.

Russian Justice Minister Yuri Chaika today criticized the decision to extradite Adamov to the United States.

"Our country and the United States of America don't have a bilateral agreement on extradition, so I have doubts that the U.S. will turn over Mr. Adamov to Russia, and I believe Switzerland should have taken that into consideration," Chaika said.

U.S. Prosecutors accuse him of stealing up to $9 million intended for improving Russia's nuclear security while he was Russia's nuclear-energy chief.